Nebraska Politics

The Republican Bee publishes a letter from a longtime Nebraska Democrat, arguing that the Democratic Party has been in servitude to the railraods and that only a restoration of public spirit will revitalize the political life of either party.

The railroads ought to object to the new army order concentrating the troops near the larger cities. It may prevent them from carrying the soldiers from one end of the United States to the other every time there is a threat of trouble in some corner of the country. This would be a calamity indeed!

NEBRASKA POLITICS

I was born a democrat and expect to die one. That the fundamental principles of the democratic party are true has always been as clear to me as my religion. Still, I have become persuaded that it needs to be licked in this state and licked often. It is only cowardice that prompts its best spirits to keep their mouths shut. The reason why the democratic party should be licked is because it has not the courage of its convictions.

The party stands by the people—that is, the law of its being requires that. If I did not believe this I would not be a democrat fifteen minutes. If some of its professed leaders in this state who wear its livery are democrats, then I am not one and I have been an ass all my life. I refer to those men—their names are familiar to you—who for twenty-five years in politics have worked on this program, to wit: First, themselves; second, the railroads; third, the democratic party.

The reason why we have no democratic party in this state—why so many of its members have joined the populists is because the party has been betrayed by its self-appointed leaders, has been torn away from the people and coupled like a caboose to the end of the railroad train. The machine has ruined the party. The people are not in it with the machine as it has existed much of the time the past twenty-five years. So it is that the party which should have commanded Nebraska has been kept a miserable fragment by those who did not want to see the people rule—who were not for the people—but first, for themselves, secondly, for the railroads; thirdly, for the party. The membership would not stand this. They have been driven off into the populist party. The party has been assassinated by its professed leaders. I need not do more here than call attention to the fact that the railroad and capitalistic party of the country has seized our flag and ignored our laws, insomuch that the people are not in it. The populist party is a protest against this. The republican party is worse off than the democratic party. The masses of that party are patriotic men; this is true of the democratic party; but the party machines have utterly betrayed them. What are we going to do about it? Are we going on voting the republican and democratic tickets set up by the machines? Are we afraid of being called bolters? Better that than cowards! Both democrats and republicans have a right to say "the people shall govern." They have a right—yea, it is their duty—to go and get that flag and put it on the ramparts, to retire from control of public affairs soulless corporations! Their government is more humiliating tyranny than that against which our sires offered their blood and which their sons should throttle with their ballots.

Two great forces are now moving in this country tending to restore our government to the people; to vitalize laws; to make all parties obey them! These forces should be welcomed by all patriotic people to the extent that this is their tendency. These two forces are the populist party and the laboringmen's party, now rising up all over the land. Both of these two forces are against trusts, corporate aggressions and monopolies. What more do you want? That they may stand also for other special issues that we do not accept should not prevent us from welcoming them to the accomplishment of the great demand of the hour—to that which our own parties are unequal—the restoration of power to the people; the vitalizing of our laws; the establishment of obedience to law!

Let the small fry partisans who are office seekers bleat and howl. Let us stand for the fundamental principles of our government, and ask them what they are going to do about it! Are not principles more than names? Why should we stickle for names, only to be used by the machines to throttle principles? The labor classes are now aroused. They were never so determined. They are arraying themselves in a solid body against the corporations to make them obey the laws. They have been used by corporations for the last time against the welfare of the people. Wise leaders are rising up to give them direction and make them powerful. They will no longer throw their great influence with corporations to pull their chestnuts out of the fire. The corporations have "sold" them too often!

Says Thomas Carlyle: "Two men I honor, and no third. First, the toil worn craftsman that with earth-made implements laboriously conquers the earth and makes her man's. Venerable to me is the hard hand crooked, coarse; wherein, notwithstanding, lies a cunning virtue, indefeasibly royal, as of the scepter of this planet. Venerable, too is the rugged face, all weather-tanned, besoiled, with its rude intelligence, for it is the face of a man living manlike. O, but the more venerable for thy rudeness, and even because we must pity as well as love thee! Hardly entreated brother! For us was thy back so bent, for us were they straight limbs and fingers so deformed. Thou wert our conscript, on whom the lot fell, and fighting our battles wert so marred. For in thee, too, lay a God created form, but it was not to be unfolded. Incrusted it must stand with the thick adhesions and defacements of labor, and thy body, like they soul, was not to know freedom. Yet toil on, toil on; thou art in they duty, be out of it who may; thou toilest for the altogether indispensable, for daily bread.

To our best disposed citizens: Have we not too much forgotten the laboring man? Have you not put away to lightly what he asks? Is it not time you patiently and conscientiously and sympathetically heard him, weighted his words, and helped to give right direction to his aspirations and help toward their attainment?

Have we not a populist senator from Nebraska who is an honor to us all? Who is ashamed of him? He has made a greater record than any other senator in congress this past session, although he is new there. Where is the senator in the United States senate who while Senator Allen has been there has done so well?

At the outset I said that the democratic party needs to be licked, and needs it often, because it has not the courage of its convictions, because it does not stand true to its principles. I this state it is a humiliating evil—a crying disgrace!

Both old parties are wanderers from the fold. Both need to be soundly licked by the people. Let's join hands and do it. The only parties that have the courage of their convictions are the populist and labor parties. They are fresh risen from the people. The capitalist crowd has shown that it is unfit to rule; that it is devoid of patriotism; that it would pledge the American flag with three-ball man as so much old rags. Up with the flag! Up with law! Up with patriotism and honesty! Let us show that man is more than money! The people must rule!

Now, then, democrats, republicans, let us be more than partisans; let us be citizens; let us get together on common ground and rejoice to see these parties arise to aid in bringing back the country to safe anchorage. Let us sink party issues in our state and establish, by all getting together on the great high ground, the very first principle of "self-defense," to-wit, the people shall rule. After we shall have made that a fact if will be time enough to quarrel about minor issues. Let all of us vote with the populists and laboring classes till we have whipped our own parties into obedience to the first great law of patriotism, into honesty, into a return to their principles. Let us this year clean up Nebraska!

It seems to me that, with the populist movement and the labor movement, united with the people distributed in both the other political parties who are sound in heart and feeling, patriots, forces are in motion that will surely bring our government from one by monopolies to one by the people. What is most needed, the greatest factor is a vitalizing of public sentiment, getting it into activity, so that the laws shall mean something, be real laws, and all persons be made to feel that they must be obeyed. The railroads must be made to obey the interstate commerce law, which forbids special rates and rebates, free passes and unjust discrimination. JOHN D. HOWE